Chapter 46: The Final Opponent of the Selection Match!

December 25, 2012.

Inside the NXG underground training room, Jinling City.

Jiang Ming sat for the first time ever at the mid-lane position; the team’s original mid-laner, Yihan, pushed over a stool and sat behind everyone as an observer.

LPL Pre-Season Selection, Server Domination Tournament!

NXG drew PE as their final opponent.

Facing a team that split from WE and had taken second place in the 2013 LPL Spring Split and first place in the Summer Split, Jiang Ming no longer sat idly by—he chose to step onto the field himself, leading his team into direct confrontation to test NXG’s true strength and determine where they stood in the LPL hierarchy.

PE’s roster consisted of captain Smallorc, top laner Aluka, mid laner Van, jungler Ziv, ADC Devil, support Sicca, and data analyst CiCi.

Yes, even in 2013, an LOL team had a data analyst.

Regardless of CiCi’s (“Little Watermelon”) skill level, simply having a dedicated data analyst—rather than letting players decide all champion picks and bans themselves—put PE far ahead of other LPL teams.

PE’s roster also included many faces familiar to future players.

Top laner Aluka, remembered by veteran players as the first “Autumn Mountain Driver,” had used a reworked Sejuani to knock out the then-bottom-ranked WE in the IEM tournament, and was the root cause of the 2015 LPL team’s overconfidence.

Moreover, the bottom lane duo were also old acquaintances.

Support Sicca, an early victim of contract exploitation, was one of the core members of the future DeYunSe duo, with profound game understanding.

ADC Nami, officially crowned by Riot as the world’s #1 AD in S4, and also an early victim of Beef Noodle Soup!

“Focus. Stay sharp. PE’s individual players are strong. For this final match, I need you all to give your absolute best.”

During preparation, Jiang Ming scolded his teammates; the five straight wins in the server selection had made these young players slightly complacent.

“Understood!”

None of them dared to slack off—not only because Jiang Ming was the team’s strongest player, but also because he was their boss. The four youngsters feared that if they nodded too slowly, they’d be marked as the first candidate for optimization before entering the LPL.

NXG was such a good team—if they got cut, where would they find another one?

…

Meanwhile, inside PE’s match room.

Sicca stared at the NXG IDs on the opposite side and felt his scalp tighten.

“Oh no, why did we have to face NXG in the final match?”

“We’re 4-1, and they’re 5-0—it’s normal,” jungler Ziv still didn’t grasp the severity.

Nami, with her long bangs, adjusted her runes as she spoke: “NXG is strong. I’ve ranked up against their ADC—I’ve seen how solid their fundamentals are, and they never tilt.”

“They’re terrifying in teamfights. That AD named Sorry, when paired with his support, is almost impossible for any jungle or top laner to catch. His playstyle is just like Weixiao’s.”

“Heh, Sicca, you’ve got your hands full today. NXG’s support has better vision control and engage timing than you, according to the data,” analyst CiCi grinned, placing a hand on Sicca’s shoulder.

“Hey, wait a minute!” captain Smallorc glared. “Didn’t you forget someone?”

Smallorc pointed at the screen. “Today, NXG’s mid-laner? It’s JM himself playing.”

“Last week, in the top server ranking battle, WE’s entire team got crushed by this guy.”

Nami: “!!!”

Sicca: “??? ”

Aluka: “...”

“Damn it!!!”

In an instant, a piercing scream erupted from PE’s training room.

They had never imagined that a streamer with over 100,000 average viewers, a millionaire online shop owner, a top student from Jinling University, and the owner of NXG would suddenly step into the game himself.

…

Ding!

Amidst an old-school background tune, the referee once again pulled both teams into the BP screen without warning.

Blue side: PE. Purple side: NXG!

“Taric… do we really need to ban him? Global flow has been nerfed to hell.”

As the match began, top laner Song Yuan relaxed slightly and asked his team leader for input.

“What do you think, Pang Ran?” Jiang Ming didn’t answer directly but turned to support Pang Ran.

Probably due to poor nutrition in childhood, Pang Ran was the shortest among them, yet he was also the most mentally agile of NXG’s five members.

Jiang Ming had deliberately nurtured him toward becoming the team’s strategic brain and future coach—so even if he never made it as a pro, he’d still have a future.

“We should ban him,” Pang Ran replied without hesitation.

“Explain.”

“First, PE came from WE—they understand global flow tactics. Even though the current meta favors assassins…” Pang Ran glanced at Jiang Ming, saw his encouraging expression, and continued more confidently: “Individually, letting Taric go might not threaten us—you, Ming-ge, as an assassin, can fully suppress him. But from a team perspective, without detailed enemy data, we shouldn’t risk it in BP.”

“Well thought out.”

Jiang Ming added: “Blue side can pick Lee Sin first. So if we ban Taric on purple side, we’re not giving them a real threat—we’re throwing them a decoy.”

In fact, PE was thoroughly confused by NXG’s Taric ban.

“Wait, did NXG misclick?”

“Why ban Taric?!”

You’re purple side, you have a counter-pick slot, and you’ve got the #1 Lee Sin in the server at mid—yet you ban Taric, the champion Lee Sin utterly counters?

Are you kidding?

Sicca thought for two seconds. “Ignore them. Ban what we want. NXG plays tempo extremely well—we must strengthen our early game. If we let them drag it to late game, we have zero chance.”

“Actually, in the previous server domination matches, NXG never let their opponents reach late game either.”

“Early game? Then Lee Sin fits perfectly. Van, take Lee Sin first pick?”

“Oh my god, please spare me—you know how JM plays! Lee Sin vs. Warwick, Warwick vs. Lee Sin—he’s taught countless high-ranked players on the server how to play it, front and back.”

“Come on, be confident! Our promotion spot’s already locked. No pressure to win—maybe you can actually beat JM!”

“...”

Van’s eyes darted. Encouraged by his teammates, his previously indifferent mind suddenly stirred.

Soon, both teams completed their three bans each.

Blue side PE bans: Warwick, Orianna, Janna.

Purple side NXG bans: Taric, Thresh, Kayle.